GAME RECAP: Oilers 3, Sharks 2 (OT)

EDMONTON, AB – Leon Draisaitl scored 18 seconds into overtime for his league-leading 24th goal of the season as the Edmonton Oilers rallied for the second straight game to defeat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in overtime on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Place.

The Oilers were pushed in the matinée matchup with the Sharks by rookie goaltender Yaroslav Askarov, who faced 42 shots but was beaten on his final two attempts from the Oilers after defenceman Mattias Ekholm scored with 18 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime.

After they needed sudden death on Thursday against the Bruins, Draisaitl earned the Oilers the extra point by setting a new franchise record with his 17th career overtime winner, surpassing teammate Connor McDavid, who produced three assists in the hard-earned victory on home ice.

"These are always exciting and fun if they go your way, so I think we've done a good job the last two nights of finding a way to close out a game," Draisaitl said. "You've got to find a way to win any type of hockey game in this league, and the last two nights, we've certainly won them the same way.

"You don't want to do that every night, but sometimes, you need those."

Goaltender Calvin Pickard made 20 saves and has now earned the win in each of his last four starts, helping lift Edmonton's overall record to 20-11-2 this season heading into their final game before the holiday break on Sunday against the Ottawa Senators.

FIRST PERIOD

The Oilers were caught out of water on two Sharks tallies in the opening frame, trailing 2-1 after 20 minutes to one of the League's bottom dwellers.

San Jose winger Luke Kunin shot the visitors into a 1-0 lead less than four minutes into the first period, finishing off Alex Wennberg's pass from below the goal line after the centre beat out an icing call and found his linemate out front to put the Pacific Division's last-place team ahead with an early goal.

Almost three-and-a-half minutes later, Zach Hyman stayed red hot for the Oilers by roofing the tying goal on a cross-crease pass from Connor McDavid, notching his ninth goal in his last eight games since returning from a five-game injury absence on Dec. 5 vs. the Blue Jackets.

The winger's nine goals since Dec. 5 lead the NHL over that span, with Saturday's tally stretching his goal streak to five games, while McDavid's assist gave him points in 21 of his last 22 contests against San Jose.

However, it took only 46 seconds for the Sharks to re-take their lead on defenceman Jan Rutta's first goal of the season, taking a deceptive shot from the slot that Pickard couldn't track through traffic as it slid along the ice and went in off the right post to make it 2-1 with 11:39 left in the first period.

"On the first two goals against in the first period, we didn't give up very many chances," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "The two chances we gave up, one from right down the middle of the slot, that's no fault of his, and the other one was just a screen through three of our guys that he didn't see.
So there's no fault for him."

McDavid and Hyman had the opportunity to level things on a two-on-one, but after Askarov saved McDavid's first attempt, Hyman put the follow-up through the netminder's legs and out the other side to get San Jose out of deep trouble late in the period.

"We spent a little more time in the defensive zone, but after that, we had most of the play," Knoblauch added.

SECOND PERIOD

Facing Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers, you just knew Saturday had the potential to be one of those classic rookie performances at Rogers Place for right-catching rookie netminder Yaroslav Askarov.

"He had a heck of a game, and we have pre-scouts on the opposition goalies every game and have our players watch the video," Knoblauch said. "We knew what he was about and he played very well tonight. He made a lot of key saves, and there were also many opportunities where we just missed the net.

We did make him look better, but a lot of credit to him for playing well."

Edmonton outshot San Jose 23-7 in the second period but was unable to beat Askarov over 20 minutes spent largely in the Sharks zone, making it look like a power play for much of the frame despite only getting one look with the man advantage during the middle stanza.

The Russian netminder showed his reach at 6-foot-3 on three terrific successive right-pad saves late in the middle frame, denying both Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson on tricky wrist shots from the right circle before he kicked aside Podkolzin's second opportunity that came off the rebound from Arvidsson's previous attempt.

The Oilers were more than doubling the Sharks in shots 34-14 after 40 minutes, and the NHL's oldest team had the necessary fortitude to stay the course and not get overwhelmed despite feeling they were unlucky to be trailing by a goal through two periods.

"I think we showed our experience from last year, being resilient and going through all the pressure and hardships that they went through, and tonight was just about sticking with it," Knoblauch said. "It's difficult. It's easy for them to take shortcuts because they were doing so many good things and it still wasn't going in the net. So sometimes, you extend your shift or try low-percentage plays.

"I think it was one of our games with higher opportunities and the amount of chances that we had, and it finally paid off and was able to go in the net for us. But a lot of credit to the Sharks."

THIRD PERIOD

It was looking like one of those afternoons for the Blue & Orange where nothing was going to go their way – whether that was Askarov making the save or the Oilers missing a few amazing chances – before Ekholm equalized at the death with Edmonton's net empty in the final minute of regulation.

"I think it's about having a sense of patience," Draisaitl said. "Sometimes, those games are tricky because you seemingly have the puck the whole night. You're creating looks, lots of old zone time, and then you give up a grade-A chance the other way because you're not quite as sharp. I thought Picks gave us a chance late with a couple of really big stops," Draisaitl said. "There's some frustration that can creep in, but I thought we did a good job today."

Pickard had been steady for the Oilers through 40 minutes despite the Sharks' minimal chances, but the Oilers netminder made an important stop against 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini on a breakaway with just under four minutes gone in the final frame.

Pickard's save on Celebrini kept the Oilers in reach, leading to Arvidsson setting up Draisaitl for a wide-open look from the left circle a few minutes later that the German somehow put under the diving Askarov and off the far post to let the Sharks off the hook another time. McDavid then had another glorious look in front on the same shift that the captain put wide after walking out front from below the goal line as the Oilers were doing almost everything but score.

"Every player has those every once in a while. It's never a great feeling," Draisaitl said of missed chances. "It's always one of those where you come back to the bench and you're like, "If I just settled it down for a second, I would've had more time.'

"But the game's so fast. Sometimes, the brain doesn't operate quite at the same speed, so it was unlucky."

McDavid created another golden chance in the final five minutes for Hyman to shoot at the entire right side of San Jose's net, but even with Askarov once struggling to stretch across, the NHL's hottest goalscorer in December managed to scrape his effort wide of the right post for another near-miss.

With Pickard on the bench in the final minute for the extra attacker, Draisaitl missed wide on another incredible opportunity before the Oilers reloaded following an impressive behind-the-back keep-in by Ekholm at the blue line that extended their possession.

Corey Perry was on the ice during six-on-five and received a cross-ice pass from McDavid before he offloaded it inside the left circle to Ekholm, who fired his effort top shelf on Askarov to tie the game at 2-2 with 18 seconds remaining in regulation.

Ekholm extended his point streak to four games (2G, 2A) with his fifth marker of the campaign as the Oilers earned a point after scoring on their 41st shot, but they'd need only one attempt in overtime to seal a much-deserved victory.

OVERTIME

A turnover by Celebrini in Edmonton's zone started the rush up ice through Draisaitl that would lead to the German snapping home the winning goal in overtime, securing the Oilers a hard-earned victory on Saturday afternoon.

After Draisaitl skated it over the Sharks' blue line, the NHL's leading scorer moved his way to the opposite circle, taking a pass from McDavid and sending a low one-timer toward Askarov that squeaked under the Russian to give the Oilers the extra point only 18 seconds into sudden death.

Draisaitl's game-winner was his league-leading 24th of the season and his 17th career overtime goal, setting a new Oilers franchise record in the process.